One week into 2023 and here we are eight days in deep.
The year just started and it seems like an entire year
already passed by. Why you may ask?
I experienced a week full of work, a wake, a funeral, and a
death all in a week’s time.
And as we enter into the second week, I just think about all
the good times that I have experienced before this moment that just seemed to
add a bit of weight that I did not expect to have to carry into this new year,
although no one knows the day nor the hour.
As I step into this brand-new week, I think about all the blessings
that seem minor which we often overlook. It is hard to not acknowledge the gift of
oxygen that God breathes into us when we watch a person in a hospital bed with
tubes down his/her throat because they cannot breathe on their own. The ability to breathe on your own is something to not take for granted.
I think about people who get sick from the effects of a stroke that might cause them to
be unable to walk, talk or to even use the bathroom on their own. How often do we thank God for the gift of having a
voice that we can use to sing, speak up for ourselves, to talk about things
that are important to us or to just simply be in our right minds?
The older I get, the more I realize how short life really
is and how blessed I am to see another day and to be surrounded by loved ones. This is the year to tell the people you care about that you love them. Do
not ever forsake those moments of care because you never know the day or the
hour that someone’s last breath may be. Love your family. Love yourself. Pray and
bless the people that you care about and share the joys of life the way that
you would want to receive love from others.
Life is short. Tomorrow is not promised or guaranteed. The
next moment might be your Last. Live in the moment and appreciate it. May you be blessed today and
always. I dedicate my song "Enjoy Life" to you as I make my mantra for each day of 2023: blessed to see another day; because I truthfully am. https://youtu.be/alV2ULnr9z8
Enjoy
life and experience it while you still have time.
In the most mundane moments when
you fall deep into thought, and you feel like you want to penetrate into solitude based on your situation that leaves you experiencing doubt, let your soul be inspired by painting a picture in your mind of
something great that happened in your life which once delighted your eyes. Don't let doubt control the way that you maneuver this world. Just a thought but . . . who did God uniquely and wonderfully custom create to be ruler over many things?
There is always a reason to be
jubilant.
Encourage your own self by
remembering all the good about you and about your current position, and let that add the
spring in your step that you need to allow joy to grow in the fertile corners
of your heart. You are so very blessed! Don't ever let your doubts hold you in as a prisoner. God is bigger than all of that. That's the mustard seed. Don't let go of it and don't ever forget to let God's faith empower you.
How could you not feel full of
life and warmth when you find a reason to smile about your own self?
Let the good you have
experienced be etched in your mind and create for you a catchy and upbeat song
and dance (some call this life) for you to take on your existence and the world. I mean in all actuality, who’s
world is this?
I have found a genuine
appreciation for traveling. I really enjoy it and it has become an irresistible
art to me.
Seeing new sites has had an
adventurous impact on me. I have become insatiably curious in discovering things
I have not before seen or maybe I had seen before but was so long ago that the
memory of it is no longer fresh in my mind.
So, when the world for me
seems to start to spin out of control, it is an indication that I need to
experience life in a bigger way to gain back control of my emotions. Last July, I felt that I was
in need of a wind of change and so, I snagged an opportunity to take a trip to
Canada. I had been there with my family many times during my childhood. I had
seen many parts and enjoyed the lifestyle, but the experience as an adult is
much different. And so, I ventured there and what a wonderful experience that
was. I can actually say that I love Canada.
When I went there in the past,
we had always hopped in a car and drove the eight hours that it took to get to
the destination which was set in the plan. This time however, I boarded a plane
and to my surprise, it took an hour and ten minutes which I thought was a deep
breath of reassurance. Less time traveling. More time enjoying the destination.
Time away eased my emotional
turmoil in so many ways. It sparked joy to once again come to this foreign land
and put aesthetic value to trudging off alone and giving experience a chance.
So many new ideas started to
brim while seeing Canada more in depth. I was far from the comfort of home but
I blew off some steam enjoying cool street festivals. And I flipped the script
by leaving my hotel room to visit family members that I had not seen in years.
And I captured each moment by being fully present wherever I was while I was
there. And I broke down barriers by linking up with a social media friend of mine who lived there
for the first time in person, who had nothing but the best intentions at heart
for me, showed me some areas of Canada that I had never seen and that was
awesome.
I even seen things with my own eyes that I felt was worthy of serious
thought. Like for instance; why do raccoons in some places have a ready to
attack state of mind but in others, can be around human beings like house pets? I found that quite interesting.
Traveling made me see that you
can either be bound by anxiety and keep your head stuck in the sand or you can
counter life’s effects and engage with the world in different ways. You can
stay in the routine and never change the mundanities of it or you can take a
short walk on the eastern edge of another world and overlook the mountains in
your life.
I wandered off course on
purpose to Montreal. It was the summertime, so why not. It definitely changed things for me in a positive way. Gave me a great reason to rise up singing and to spread my wings with knowledge that I can actually overcome poignancy by creating my own joy and allowing it to simmer.
Cover of Summertime performed by the JNote Quintet
I came across so many things I loved like Mount Royal, Old
Montreal, Trois Riviers, House of Jazz, A Quebecois museum, a mall that spans
about a mile underground and some other really cool things.
I also discovered
the fact that water, even just the smell of it brings peace to your mind. And
the best part, there was a Starbucks on every corner; what a treat.
Every
tender moment I spent there was worth it. I am still captivated by Canada’s energy and I
cannot wait to visit there again. This post is in short to say, I love you
Canada. Happy 150th birthday!
“Do what you’re made
for, yes, but then get better and better;
eradicate weakness,
yes, but only within strength”
– Jim Collins
I am infamous for allowing vivid
memories of the past, be the thicket of briers that I keep falling into and
getting bruised all over again for something that is way beyond the current time
restraint that I am in. Imagine being someone who is keeled over exhaustion
from running backwards into sobering reminders of yesterday.
So what? I was tattered and
torn. Darn scars! So what? I fell victim of my own mistakes. Darn detours! So what? The events of the
moment that don’t seem so great stimulate thoughts that can mask a smile. Darn Debby downers! So What? Finances are climbing. Darn bills! So What? The driver next to me just cut me off two seconds off of getting snipped. Darn Road Rage! It has become alarmingly obvious to me that these things are a part of life and you just have to deal with it; plus there have been more good days than bad and the good needs to be acknowledged just as much as the bad! Maybe celebrated even more.
“Today’s clouds can
never deny yesterday’s beautiful sunset.
The inconvenience of
today’s storms can never turn us from tomorrow’s harvest”
– Nikki Giovanni
I had the opportunity to
perform my original tune, “Enjoy Life” live with the JNote Band and it was a
great experience to come before the masses and to do it for the first time and
share my story in a song. Sometime it takes encouraging yourself to come to the
reality of a situation. Check It out here: https://youtu.be/yW9t5G82i68
I have found out that it is
more important to thrive and to grow from these things. I have discovered that falling
allows you the wings to fly higher than any bird in the sky. I have come to
realize that your thoughts about your own self hold magnitude. It is better to
think good about who you are and the possibilities than to stack your plate at
the negativity buffet.
Better to set out with confidence and greet each new day
with a welcoming smile. The sun itself is pleasing to the eye and it is easier
to take on the world with a measure of confidence and to enjoy life. For what
is life without a little spice? A smile might just be that pinch of spice to
make your life that much sweeter.
Experience each day
whole-heartedly because we only have today. If you are doubting, you are living
in yesterday. If you are anxious, you are living in tomorrow. Enter into today,
and keep your mind focused on making the moments of time you will never have
again when they are gone, good.
“Instead of a life
cluttered with anxiety
pray about everything
and let God’s peace
guard your hearts and
minds in Christ”
– Anonymous
A good elixir is to remember
that despite our songs and dances, all the work, responsibilities, pressures, baggage, goal
crunching, we still have today and can still enjoy life by simply appreciating
the day God made and finding reasons to smile in it.
Express
joy in it!
Make each day your masterpiece
and empower yourself to make an effort to give your best while life is still
happening. Especially since, worrying about tomorrow is somewhat of a conundrum
considering that tomorrow is not promised and may not even come. Despite what we might have been through, being here today means that you survived it. Expressing gratitude for how much of a powerful individual you are, is more empowering than anything you could do. Celebrate your accomplishments. Pat yourself on your own back when you are able to complete tasks. Find a way to celebrate you everyday!
I have my moments where I am overcome with sad thoughts and it happens at the same time every
year, though my accident was well in the past, I still experience the
psychological traumas of it.
It seems like on the
anniversary of it, I start reliving the bad experience from a distance. I start
getting sick; even to the point of paralysis where I cannot get out of my bed
or start experiencing all these pains in my body that hadn’t been there and
make me ail.
I often wonder if I should be
desensitized by the situation by now. I mean, my river of knowledge is far
beyond that night and time when my accident occurred. So much time has passed
and so many events have taken place and yet still, my near-death experience changed my whole entire world of limitless abundance and I am back to confusion, in a
frenzy and in tears, and paralysis masks my joy.
My uncle made me realize that
I am able to choose my response to life the day after it happened. While I was ready to stay in
bed crying and blaming myself about what happened and thinking of all the terrible
things that could have happened, including my head being cut off and my life coming
to a sudden end, he was ready to make me feel like life was still worth living. My mind tends to flirt with all the could have would haves and
then I feel depressed and sick and I stiffen in response to the memory on the
anniversary. Sometimes I wonder if I will be latched to this event forever. I
guess I am still seeking clarity of how something like that could have happened
to me. I even sometimes taste fear of driving, synchronous to the anniversary
date, on my tongue.
I realized through this entire
experience that if we dwell on dilemmas, we will never transcend the boundaries
of them. I realized that what was encountered happened and cannot be changed
because it is part of my history. I realized that it is unhealthy to live a
life blaming yourself for something that happened or might have happened when
it is well in the past and not my present reality. And I also realized that
with my story, I can inspire others and help others who might have
experienced something similar to me.
When I wrote the song, Enjoy
Life, it was based on this situation. I wanted to slip away and forget that
life still goes on regardless of what happened. The lyrics are based on my living,
breathing history telling myself that I can still enjoy life even though life
happened.
By releasing my thoughts onto paper, I made it justifiable for me to
move past it. And what made it even better for me was being able to get up on
stage on the anniversary of my accident, to tell people about it and to sing to
them my lyrics to “Enjoy Life” to let them know that it is okay to
embrace each day to the fullness of it, regardless of our situations.
I had it all mapped out. I was
going to venture this new territory and skate my way to challenging my fear of
falling flat on my face. Confidently, I perched on a set of wheels beneath my
feet thinking, I got this. However, I was so inundated with fear that I hardly
wanted to walk with the skates on, though I had to in order to try skating for
real.
At first, it was a guided
situation. I was being pulled across the rink by the crutches of my friend’s
hands, pulling me to skate. I floated right along with him but, every so often,
I felt myself losing balance.
I decided that I could not let
my entire time be spent that way. I wanted to try it on my own. All the
possibilities of me skating on my own, were cooking. I got onto the rink by
myself, but if it weren’t for the guard rail, I would not have been able to get
on that slippery surface on my own, at all.
I looked at my friends dancing
and skating backwards and me, I was taking baby steps, holding on to the rail,
all around. I actually was able to go around the rink three times. I feared falling and thank God I didn’t fall on the rink. Where I did fall
was outside of the rink with skates on trying to walk down the little step down
they had to get to the locker area. I am not writhing in pain and ironically,
it was falling that fine-tuned my thinking and made me dust myself off, no
longer fear falling and made me decide to get onto the rink by myself and without
another’s assistance realizing that I am a masterpiece in progress.
I can’t believe that the
simple act of skating made me pay close attention to my posture when I am walking.
It made me feel okay with the speed of going slow so I could actually get
comfortable with the motions. I also learned that what we gain is also what we
lose. I gained confidence in trying and lost fear of falling and hurting
myself. How cool is that?
Are you someone who enjoys the
art of roller skating? If it is not the fun or the adventure, it is the music
that the deejay is spinning while people roll to his rhythms that drive my
interest. My latest video for my song, “Enjoy Life,” a dance tune with lyrics
by Stephanie Jeannot and music by Mike LeShore, is definitely, the type of song
that fits the mold of a song that you would hear at a skating rink. It is fast paced. It is danceable. It has a lot of energy and it is catchy. The video was
edited and produced by me, Stephanie Jeannot with the help of my dear friend Stuart Thomas who helped to record many of the scenes featured in this visual slide show of frames. I hope that you will take the time
to check out my creative videography project here: https://youtu.be/alV2ULnr9z8
Thank you for making my life,
that much more enjoyable. Have a pleasant week!
I have made it my mission to write a thousand words a day
and to make the words that I share positive as a way of engaging a smile in someone
else.
Through it all, I will benefit by festering my own wounds
that have yet to heal and have been holding me prisoner to my doubts since they
first left scars. I will not admit to living a life full of immense sadness but
I will say that the past took such a toll that it still has fire power over my
mood because of the heaviness of the scenes where and when the bulk of negative instances
occurred that sort of affected the entirety of my huge heart.
Sometimes I am happy and then I think about those moments
in time which I fell and then I unhesitatingly choose to withhold my beautiful smile. I get
lost in the music of the thoughts of how I lost my step and what did not go my way in these detours that
shouldn't have, and then I feel this emotional fragility that should not be present
but is, because the past takes over.
I don’t know if you can relate to constantly blaming yourself
for where you are or are not in the present moment that leaves a physical
reminder of how you messed up. Though accomplishments may occur daily, you
overlook them because you never allowed yourself to experience closure from
your past. You rather stay tightly bonded to your disappointments than to experience the
momentary joys which I could say are on the flip side of the bad yesterdays.
Positive thoughts are the glasses that are half full. They create the sensation of looking on the bright
side. Being upright and positive would result in the good feelings that you could have though you feel nothing but numbness where the sunshine should be beaming.
Here Are Some Things You Can Do to Ward Off the Self-Negative Reactions.
1.
Encourage yourself.
Make a list of the good things
in your life. Acknowledge the accomplishments. Pat your own self in the back
with each rung you climb. Award yourself with a golden star or a mani/pedi when
you take a tiny leap into the direction of your choosing.
2. Shake
it off.
Turn on some feel-good music
and just dance. For one, it will burn off a couple of calories. Secondly, music
has a way of creating positive energy within. It can be that one thing to
instill hope in those great, big old eyes.
3.
Style
When you look good, you feel
great. I don’t know about you but if I dress up and look stylish, I can’t have
bad feelings about myself when I am looking at my dolled up, sexy self in the mirror. Dress up! Put on
some stylish jewelry on. Put some makeup on and smile at how beautiful you are
in your coordinated fashion. Look in the mirror and see the fearfully and
wonderfully made heir to the throne that you are. Royalty in fact. Do you actually
really see the truly blessed individual looking back at you in the mirror?
4.
Have a conversation
I understand that some people
feel that having a therapist Is the answer to everything. If you can talk to
someone and tell them your problems than it makes a difference and in some ways,
I agree. However, have you ever let out our thoughts to a great friend? Do you
have someone you can trust? If you get sad and think no, then you are wrong.
You can always turn to God with your problems. You don’t have to worry about
what you say being repeated in gossip. You don’t have to worry about being
judged for your thoughts and feelings. Get on your knees and let it out. He is
a great listener. IT also will feel good to get it out your system to someone
worth talking to.
5.
Write it.
If you think you do not have anything
worth writing about, sometimes letting out your emotions on paper creates the
best stories. The way our thoughts operate on us is the way that a reader will
look at what is written if you share it and feel the emotion ripping through
the pages. If you had a hard lived life,
write a song about it. I am not sure about you but, my favorite Mary J Blige
songs were the ones that she was singing sad songs. I could sing along to like the
first five albums word for word. Then she started getting happy and the songs
didn’t hit the same for me anymore. Some of the questions you may have that
bubble in your heart, readers and listeners might be able to relate to because
we all have baggage, songs and dances alike and across the breath of society, we
are no different from each other in the fact that we all had a past that we jumped
feet first into. The strain of the task might leave you exhausted because I
often end up in tears writing when I do write but, it will help to experience a
sort of clarity that you may not have had.
6.
Yoga/Meditation
Yoga helps to experiencedeep breathing. I can honestly say
that I don’t take deep breaths enough and not because I don’t want to but
because my body was built this way and I mostly take shallow breaths while
awake and while in resting mode. But, meditation hushes the overthinking. It
makes you focus on your breathing. It brings you to the point of quiet of mind
which is the only thing that never changes in a constantly changing world. Meditation helps to bring you into
unity with yourself and also helps to correct your thinking. For 15 -20 minutes
a day, if you focus on just your breaths, it can help to detox the clutter in your
mind.
Enjoy
Life
I hope that my words find you in good spirits as it was
written as I sit back and process the beautiful message I received today at church
as well as my dwelling on the first month and half that has left us in the 2017
year.
I attended two funerals already; one which was a double
casket one for a friend of mine who lost his brother and mother in the same
week. Days later, two other friends lost their mom, another friend an aunt and
a plethora of others who have lost people already in 2017.
Life is so short and considering my friend cleaning out
what is left of his recently departed, something to think about is the fact
that things, physical or spiritual are just things. There is still so much life
to live while we are in the land of the living. If lived with regret of what
should’ve would’ve could’ve happened which again are just things, our days will be hard and we will suffer. But if lived with hope of what
is to come, there is so much more promise than just the things. We have been kept for a reason.
Never forget that!
I’d like to invite you to check out my song, Enjoy Life,
about living and enjoying life regardless of our trials. Everything has an
expiration date; things, situations, relationships, people and even our trials. But our internal
joy is everlasting so don’t ever let go of it. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/qPCvcQLGd2o
Thank you for reading my blogpost. Have a wonderfully blessed day!
it depends upon the tides of the mind" - Alice Meynell, 1847-1922
We all go through things that can put a damper on our day and perhaps week. But I definitely do not want to be the lonesome bag lady in the woods, carrying so much baggage that everyone else can see it in my growling, animalesque attitude. This brand new week, is a great week to decide to focus on the good. Here a few things to think about that might make you smile just a little bit.
Actress Viola Davis was honored with a Hollywood star. I loved her in the movie "The Help," and since I started watching her in her leading role on "HTGAWM," I love her as an actress. Awesome news to smile about!
Today is national take the stairs day. Thank God that we are able to take the stairs when the elevators are not working because we have well and able legs that can transport us from one floor to the next.
Next Monday is Martin Luther King Jr day which means many of us can look forward to a long weekend and for those who will have to work, it means a not so crowded road, bus or train which also means an empty seat will be available going to and from work.
I have life-bearing drinking water readily available to me to drink and to keep me hydrated, when needed.
Nothing in this world is free but I woke up and breathed in free oxygen that I did not have to pay for and light from the sun that will brighten the day God created for me to live.
Enjoy Life
"But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
falling like dew upon a thought,
produces that which makes thousands,
perhaps millions, think."
- Aubrey Thomas de Vere, 1814-1902
A few years back, I was returning home from a musical event that I was singing at, with tired eyes. I thought I was okay to drive and got on the road and made it to my exit on the highway and then it happened.
At my exit there is a fork in the road, so I turned my head slightly to see if any cars were coming from the left side and while turning my head back to look before me, my eyes closed for just a second. Next thing I know, my car was smashed into a truck. The truck ripped into the metal right before me and if it had teared into it any further, it would have cut my head off.
My eyes opened to the shock of the crash. I am still amazed that I was able to walk out of the car with no scratches and a story to tell.
I was so depressed the day after that happened that I wanted to just stay draped under my covers crying about all the crazy things that could have happened due to my falling asleep behind the wheel, but family and friends would not allow it. They made sure to help to keep me sane and to try to get me to see the good side of the bad situation. They made me see that even though something bad happened that came with a series of other things I would have to deal with due to my accident, that I could still enjoy the good things in life, as opposed to dwelling on what happened that I would not be able to change. It happened. Things happen. Forrest Gump said it best, "Shit happens!" And then you must move past it.
This story is in short to say that even though we may have stories, dead beat mates, family problems, issues, baggage, bills, jobs, weight on our shoulders, etc., but we still have a life to live. We can either dwell on our issues all day and spend it without a smile or we can balance our emotions by keeping those issues in the back of our minds while also enjoying the beautiful things that life has to offer, and smile about them.
I wrote a song that talks about the balancing of life and life's issues entitled, "Enjoy Life." Lyrics by Stephanie Jeannot. Music by Mike LeShore. Please take the time to listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/qPCvcQLGd2o
"Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling."
- Margaret Lee Runbeck, 1905-1956
Don't worry.
I drink more coffee now than the sink at a 10PM closing of Starbucks,
after a fresh pot was made for the one customer (probably me)
dying for a Venti Pike,
so my energy nowadays behind the wheel has me traveling much lighter,
minus the fear of something like that happening again.
Plus I take naps and I'm not ashamed to admit that. Now there's something else to smile about!
